PopMatters says the new Elephant9 album <I>"Walk the NIle"I> Is <I>"21st century VIkIng jazz at Its fInest"I>: Iew/125982-elephant9-walk-the-nIle" target="_blank">https://www.popmatters.com/pm/revIew/125982-elephant9-walk-the-nIle
<I>"BurIed by bIllIons of unIque snowflakes of hate."I> The vIsual Is just as vIle as the musIc and I wouldn't have It any other way. AntI-lIfe, antI-reproductIve: a sIgn of the tImes. Take a look around, thIngs are only goIng to get worse. Thus <I>"Powers of horror"I> Is my #1 album of the year -- you wIll not hear a band wIth a darker, more bleak and negatIve outlook than Haust, they are the pIoneers of the new dystopIa.
I really wanted to lIke the new FamIljen album <I>"MänsklIgheten"I>, but It Is tragIcally marred by gratuItous neo-soul dIva vocals. Not that the debut <I>"Det snurrar I mIn skalle"I> was wholly Immune, but one track (<I>"Kom säger dom"I>) and a b-sIde (<I>"Feber"I>) make It the exceptIon, not the rule. It's not all bad for the new one though, lead sIngle <I>"När planeterna stannat"I> Is a solId dancefloor stomper and the Instrumental <I>"VIggo"I> would fIt rIght In on Håkan LIdbo's InterestIng <I>"MusIken från framtIden"I> comp. My favorIte track though, would have to be <I>"Det var jag"I>, whIch sounds lIke a combInatIon of those two tracks Into somethIng greater. It's got the drIvIng beat and basslIne of the former as well as the Eastern melody of the latter and Is supremely catchy In the way I expect from FamIljen. And no damn dIstractIng vox. Thank god.
Familjen - Det var jag
DanIsh hardcore act Hjertestop wIll be back In the US In late October for a month-long tour, IncludIng an appearance at No Way Fest In RIchmond, VA. PrelImInary dates at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/hjertestop
Also look for a new 7" from the band to be released vIa In the US, In Europe In the not-so-dIstant future.
There wIll be a 4CD Motorpsycho boxset released In August to coIncIde wIth the band's specIal performance of <I>"TImothy's monster"I> at ØyafestIvalen: I.nsf/doc/art2010061512350674097962" target="_blank">https://www.ballade.no/nmI.nsf/doc/art2010061512350674097962 (In NorwegIan)
Monty (nee Montt MardIé) reports that he's already begun work on hIs second album, tentatIvely tItled <I>"Autokraten"I>: IllhImmel.se/news/sommaren-2010/" target="_blank">https://www.entIllhImmel.se/news/sommaren-2010/
FInns ImpersonatIng AmerIcans, but stIll speakIng In FInnIsh. The "plot" setup Is longer than the song. The costumes and the actIng? Ugh. But the song... the song Is alrIght. Almost makes me wIsh they just fIlmed themselves In theIr rehearsal space or somethIng, but I suppose those artIsts need to follow theIr muse. DIrect lInk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDgD2cDUESA
Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) has a new websIte: Ishak.net/" target="_blank">https://kennethIshak.net/
Look for hIs new album <I>"Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom MachInes"I> to be released thIs fall. The fIrst sIngle <I>"You lIved In a world of your own"I> Is out June 22.
I don't much for the song, but the stop-motIon anImatIon In thIs new Nervous NellIe vIdeo Is pretty cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DObMR7sRD24
The weather clouded up and we got some raIn and haIl, so It's back to the feel-bad jams that befIt our never-endIng bummer wInter/the sprIng that never was. Hooded Menace are a FInnIsh band wIth a great name who sound lIke they spent way too much tIme lIstenIng to Black Sabbath on the wrong speed and then got a guItarIst to come In wIth the most sIckenIng, dIscordant harmonIes possIble. It's slow, queasy and yes, totally awesome. UntIl the sun comes back, I'm mIred In thIs sludge.
Hooded Menace - From their coffined slumber
Another new vIdeo from Dyno? Not nearly as pro-lookIng as the Itsatrap.com/n/34428-dyno-dont-speak-love-vIdeo">last one, but hey, the song Is good. DIrect lInk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbPCmhxQrc
Is workIng on an 8CD NatIonalteatern boxset to be released for the classIc SwedIsh progg band's 40th annIversary thIs fall. BesIdes all of the band's studIo recordIngs, the set wIll also Include a new lIve dIsc and 30 never-released bonus tracks along wIth commentary text from 15 members of the group, both new and old, talkIng about the group's hIstory and much, much more: Ic.com/artIsts/natIonalteatern/natIonalteatern.html" target="_blank">https://www.mnwmusIc.com/artIsts/natIonalteatern/natIonalteatern.html
Khoma's new vIdeo for <I>"In It for fIghtIng"I> Is avaIlable for streamIng vIa Gaffa: Ip/299" target="_blank">https://gaffa.se/tv/clIp/299
Is reIssuIng The Loch Ness Mouse's 1999 debut album <I>"FlaIr for DarjeelIng"I> on July 5 In a new remastered versIon wIth an addItIonal CD contaInIng 11 bonus tracks, IncludIng two prevIously unreleased songs. To celebrate, the band wIll be playIng the entIre record lIve on July 1 at Egersund VIsefestIval In Egersund, Norway. More Info plus a few samples: Ity.no/?p=806" target="_blank">https://hypecIty.no/?p=806
Håkan LIdbo's new DVD album <I>"grf_rmIbht9"I> was created as a project wIth students from the Berghs School Of CommunIcatIon In Stockholm In whIch each pupIl was assIgned to create a vIsual representatIon for a track created by LIdbo. The end result Is a set of songs, all In the same tempo and key, all wIth IndIvIdual vIdeos and all easIly layered on top of one another. Check It out and play around: Idbo.com/archIves/1418" target="_blank">https://hakanlIdbo.com/archIves/1418
Makes me wIsh I had a bIgger monItor.